‘Hospital births save lives’: Doctor warns of consequences as Centra Southside closes maternity unit

FARMVILLE, Va. (WRIC) -- A major change is coming for families in Farmville. Centra Southside Community Hospital announced it will close its OB-GYN unit next month — ending labor and delivery services and forcing expecting parents to travel about 50 miles for care.

Starting Friday, Dec. 19, the hospital will discontinue all OB-GYN services, including labor and delivery. Centra officials said fewer than 275 babies are born at the hospital each year, making it difficult to justify keeping full-time staff on duty 24/7.

Dr. Makunda Abdul-Mbacke, a maternal health specialist and OB-GYN, said the decision reflects a troubling national trend — and one that comes with serious consequences.

“Women’s health is not well compensated,” Abdul-Mbacke said. “So, these decisions are fueled by money. It’s a cost-benefit ratio. There is a price tag, and the math does not make sense for a lot of these small-volume hospitals.”

Abdul-Mbacke said she’s seen the ripple effects firsthand. Her own hospital in Martinsville shut down its labor and delivery unit three years ago.

“Not only did it impact pregnancy care — it impacted women’s health in general,” she said. “Right now, with what we’re seeing in Martinsville and Henry County, cancer detection is delayed, care for miscarriage is delayed — and we have definitely experienced at least one maternal death.”

She worries the same could soon happen in Farmville, where many families already face barriers to care such as long work hours and limited transportation.

“You’re asking them to give up a whole day’s worth of pay to seek care,” Abdul-Mbacke explained. “That’s where you start seeing the decrease in prenatal visits — and that’s where you start seeing poorer outcomes.”

Without local access, Abdul-Mbacke warns that untreated hypertension, higher rates of sexually transmitted infections, and complications in high-risk pregnancies could rise. She believes Centra should explore alternatives, including telemedicine, nurse practitioners or mobile health vans to keep care close to home.

“The people of Farmville need to sit down with Centra and ask, ‘What can you leave behind?’” she said. “Hospital births save lives. We have solutions — but just pulling up stakes and leaving nothing behind doesn’t serve the community.”

Centra said its emergency department will remain open, and no one in active labor will be turned away. The hospital will also continue to partner with local clinics to provide outpatient services after Dec. 19.

Still, advocates like Abdul-Mbacke said that isn’t enough to fill the gap left behind.

For more information on this discontinuation of OB/GYN services, click here.